Good and evil are two opposing forces that have been present in human mythology and folklore for centuries. These forces can also be found in the realm of magic. **Good magic** is often associated with healing, protection, and bringing positive energies into the world. It is commonly used to assist individuals in their personal development, helping them to become more harmonious, compassionate, and balanced individuals. Good magic is believed to have a positive impact on others and the world at large. Practitioners of good magic typically focus on working with natural energies, harnessing them for the greater good.
Sadly, Games Workshop have not deigned to allow us the glory of Battleline cows so the Alarith temple just has to make do with Alartih Stoneguard who honestly kinda slap now. Both of their weapon options have been rolled into one profile doing the same thing, so no need to stress over which thing on a big stick you want to equip them with – it’s mortal wounds on 6s to hit all the way. On top of this, Stoneguard have picked up a 4+ ward against mortal wounds whilst contesting an objective under your control and just have a whole host of buffs available to make them a genuinely tanky melee threat now.
Those bows did lose a pip of rend in melee, but these are a huge beneficiary of the expanded range on the Helon ability, which should make their melee less of a requirement. It s a garrison for one of your unmounted, non-monster heroes and hands out a free spellcasting re-roll once per turn as well as a free command once per battle round.
Practitioners of good magic typically focus on working with natural energies, harnessing them for the greater good. They may employ various tools, such as herbs, crystals, and incantations, to carry out their spells and rituals. Good magic is often seen as a force that can bring about healing, abundance, and harmony in one's life.
First play of Talisman: Legendary Tales
So, here’s some more rambling about how my daughter, Katie, and I played through our first games of Talisman: Legendary Tales by Pegasus Spiele and lived to tell the tale!
Just to note that there may be some SPOILERS amongst the blurb and pictures that follow, so if you want your first experience to be a total surprise then I would stop reading immediately and wait patiently for another couple of weeks until the game is on general release!
Katie chose the female Dwarf as her adventurer and I went with the old male Wizard, and we decided to keep the same heroes for the duration of the campaign.
We also decided that we were going to ramp up the difficulty and try for the “three star” Talismans on each Adventure, which may have been a little impulsive for a first outing, but you don’t become Legendary by not taking risks!
You can see that there is an increase in the difficulty of Enemies as you progress through the Adventure, which makes it important to take advantage of gaining Rewards when you can.
Encouraged by our success in the first Adventure, we set up the board and our characters quickly met with some strangers in the Tavern who told us where the next Talisman would be.
You can see in the image above that it can be very easy for time to pass, as I managed to pick up three “hourglass” tokens in one turn! There is also a 1 in 6 chance that your Travel die roll might end up advancing the clock.
Coupled with some lucky token draws and die rolls, we absolutely stormed the Adventure and scored another legendary “three star” Talisman for the team!
You will notice another type of Treasure Chest in this Adventurer that you must “fight” as a normal Enemy in order to reap the greater Rewards within.
Well, firstly you have to clear the way of Enemies for the Prince to travel, and he won’t move unless his path is clear. Not only that, but if he doesn’t move you must advance the time counter!
Don’t let her smile fool you though as she is incredibly sneaky, in that once you have found her and taken one of her lives, she can teleport to another Location! She also secretly stashes a Toad token to your bag which can really mess up your progress a bit as it reduces the number of tiles you can move and how many tokens you can take each turn.
The setup for this Adventure was the most interesting as it not only has a new type of token, the Villagers, but also reuses the red encounter tokens from the second Adventure.
The number of Villagers left on the board also determines how many Grey Enemies you will encounter in the endgame, and bar your way to the Cursed Glade, where you must deliver the final Talisman.
At the end of each round, two tiles disappear, so you have to stay ahead of this by rolling well and making sure that you are in a position to defeat any Enemies that you find.
But, with luck on our side, we made it! Though with only 3 turns remaining. A few bad draws and it could have been a completely different story!
All in all, it was a positive gaming experience, and I really enjoyed playing through the Adventures and the story that unfolded over the three evenings.
Each Adventure took around 20 minutes to half an hour to complete, so you can easily jump in and out of the game without having to set aside a whole evening (or weekend!) like you would normally have to do with a game of Talisman: The Magical Quest Game.
But is it Talisman?
I think that the inclusion of familiar illustrations and locations from the Talisman world certainly allows you to immerse yourself in the game enough to make it worthy of the name of Talisman, but it is certainly not as deep and violent as that world can be. At the end of the day though, it’s not supposed to be as this is a game developed for children and families to enjoy, with the lightest of fantasy themes so it’s basically down to how willing you are to use your imagination and invest in the setting.
The new artwork from Falk “Zapf” Holzapfel is really bright and fun and certainly a match for the art from the original game, especially the “cute” art style of Felicia Cano which features on tokens and Scrolls in the game.
The bag building mechanic is something new to me, but I am on board with the idea that you increase your possibility of drawing certain types of token, rather than just ramping up your attributes in the normal game and there is certainly not the same problem with being so buffed that you do not need to roll dice for combat.
The cooperative nature of the game ensures that there is still chat around the table as you discuss your best strategy for beating a particular Enemy or Boss. There is certainly enough opportunity to laugh at your team mates as they fail spectacularly in a task, or even end up as a Toad!
I have heard nothing as yet, but I really hope that Pegasus Spiele will release an expansion of some sort, perhaps with a new hero and a set of tokens to use with a single Adventure Scroll.
It would be very easy for Talisman: Legendary Tales to be adapted into a digital title, and I have my fingers crossed that it might happen at some point.
Their Deep Cut miniatures come in a variety of archetypes and generally come with male and female versions that match the heroes in the game. I had to be a little creative with miniatures for the Troll and Prophet(ess), but I will add the full range to the page once the postie has delivered everything!
With four tables of traits gated behind the main hero keywords this is a surprisingly lacklustre section of the book. Your Vanari heroes can take Grand Strategist for +1 to your Heroic Leadership rolls, a cute ability that is a meaningful bump in how many CP you’ll generate if you use that heroic action a lot (which you probably are anyway). Scinari get probably the best overall selection with Spellmaster granting a free use of Magical Boost without using aetherquartz once per game and Loremaster handing out 2 extra spells from the Lore of Hysh.
On the other hand, **evil magic** is associated with negative intentions and harmful actions. It is often rooted in selfishness, greed, and the desire to manipulate or harm others. Evil magic is believed to have a detrimental effect on individuals and society as a whole. Evil magic, also known as dark magic or black magic, is typically associated with curses, hexes, and spells intended to cause harm or control others. Practitioners of evil magic may use symbols, rituals, and sacrifices to tap into dark energies and achieve their intentions. It is often viewed as a corrupting force that can lead individuals down a path of destruction and suffering. It is important to note that the concepts of good and evil magic are not universally agreed upon and can vary depending on cultural and personal beliefs. Some may argue that magic itself is neutral and that it is the intentions and actions of the practitioner that determine whether it is good or evil. Others may view magic as a tool that can be wielded for either positive or negative purposes, depending on the individual's ethics and moral compass. Ultimately, the distinction between good and evil magic lies in the intentions and consequences of its use. Good magic seeks to bring about positivity, healing, and growth, while evil magic aims to cause harm, manipulation, and suffering. It is up to each individual to decide which path they choose to follow in their exploration and practice of magic..
Reviews for "Lightworkers: Channeling Good Magic for the Benefit of All"
1. John - 2 stars - I found "Good and evil magic" to be quite predictable and cliché. The storyline seemed like a recycled version of every other fantasy novel out there. The characters lacked depth and their actions felt forced. The magical elements were not well-developed and often seemed out of place. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to others.
2. Sarah - 1 star - "Good and evil magic" was a complete letdown for me. The writing was mediocre at best, with awkward dialogue and poor pacing. The plot felt unoriginal and lacked any surprises or twists. The character development was minimal, making it hard to connect with any of them. I found it hard to sustain any interest in the story and struggled to finish it. I would advise others to avoid this book if they are looking for a well-crafted, engaging fantasy read.
3. Michael - 3 stars - I had high hopes for "Good and evil magic," but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The world-building was decent, but I found the magic system to be inconsistent and confusing. The plot had potential but was poorly executed, with several loose ends left unresolved. The pace dragged at times, making it hard to stay engaged. While there were some redeeming qualities, overall, this book didn't live up to the hype for me.
4. Emily - 2 stars - I was excited to dive into "Good and evil magic," but I was quickly disappointed. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any real growth throughout the story. There were several instances where the plot felt rushed, leaving me confused and disconnected. The author's prose was unremarkable, lacking the descriptive language that could have brought the magical elements to life. I struggled to finish this book and would not recommend it to others seeking a captivating fantasy tale.
5. Robert - 1 star - "Good and evil magic" was a complete waste of my time. The writing was amateurish, with grammatical errors and awkward sentence structures. The plot was predictable and lacked any originality. The characters were forgettable and lacked depth. Overall, this book felt like a poorly executed attempt at fantasy fiction, and I regret spending my money on it. Save yourself the disappointment and skip this one.